Selected Articles

High above sea level and the clouds that enshroud the Himalayas, Ed Viesturs, one of America’s greatest climbers, forged a path up Mount Everest. He had summited the world’s highest peak before, but this was his first go at making it to the top alone—a historic attempt at a particularly difficult feat of mountaineering.

It was the fall of 1993, and Viesturs cut a striking figure against the blinding white snow with his red-and-black insulated down suit, worn over technical layers and color-blocked accessories in red, blue, and black. “I was the best-dressed climber on Everest, ever,” he said at the time. Unlike the clothing worn by his contemporaries, which was supplied by traditional outdoor companies, Viesturs’ gear had an unexpected logo: “POLO SPORT.”

That's how Jean Touitou, the founder and owner of French fashion label A.P.C., described the beginnings of his brand in an interview to discuss the company's 30 year history. Browse through the racks of pared-down clothes at any of its warm but sparsely decorated shops, though, and you may not see the connection.

A.P.C. clothes have always been what the fashion crowd likes to call "basics” — handsome, but unassuming garments. Trim but not tight, thoughtfully designed, but in a way that's directed towards the wearer rather than his audience, with a uniquely French feeling of insouciance. A.P.C.'s offerings have a way of looking and feeling right, without ever quite providing a clear why. The same words tend to appear in any description of the brand: basic, simple, minimal. They're apt, but don't quite capture the full story.

The idea is that the city is so beautiful and fulfilling that once you've seen it, your life is complete. Settled on the coastline of Southern Italy, Naples has a bay full of pastel-hued buildings dotting its shores and azure blue water lapping in from the Mediterranean. As a city, its history stretches back to the second millennium BC. Herman Melville said of the city, "no equipages flash like these; no beauties so haughty. No cavaliers so proud, no palaces so sumptuous.”

These days, though, its reputation may appear mixed; Naples is often criticized for its high crime rates, significant street pollution, run-down buildings and a general “rough-around-the-edges” feel. Sartorially-minded tourists are more likely to go to Florence—home of the Pitti Uomo festival—or Milan, one of the world's most significant capitals for clothing. But hopping a direct flight to either of those cities might have menswear fans missing out on one of Italy's most prominent contributions to the fashion world: the soft and rakish allure of Neapolitan tailoring. While the playing field in Naples is crowded with tailoring houses that are revered as some of the best in the world, one name usually rings louder than any other: Kiton.